Scuba diving accidents

It is no doubt that scuba diving is now considered a popular sport enjoyed by millions of people. This is not surprising, because divers can attest to the different kind of pleasure they get from traversing the deep, beautiful world underwater.
Scuba diving is a fun, exciting sport, but it is not without its health risks. Aside from being adequately trained and knowing the proper equipment, it is also essential to know the medical hazards involved in scuba diving. Here are some of the common health risks that you might encounter when scuba diving.

DCS or "the bends", as divers call it, is considered as one of the most common diving-related injury. In the body, decompression occurs to balance off the pressure with the ambient pressure. When you are in great depth underwater, you breathe compressed air and extra nitrogen is absorbed by the body tissues. This excess nitrogen builds up in your body, creating a reduced pressure, which can eventually create bubbles in your body tissues and blood. These bubbles can be extremely painful. If left unaided, DCS can cause extreme damage to your nerve and tissues, a dysfunction of your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and may even lead to death. To avoid experiencing bends or DCS, ascend and resurface slowly. Also, follow the dive tables, and perform the proper safety stop. However, other factors such as physical fitness, number of sleeping hours, stress, drug and alcohol use, and physical fitness may also contribute to decompression sickness. This is why you should carefully assess yourself and seek medical treatment immediately, once you exhibit DCS symptoms.

Nitrogen narcosis occurs when a diver descends deeper into the sea, where gases are very highly concentrated. Nitrogen narcosis is caused by breathing extremely high amounts of nitrogen to compensate for the ambient pressure. This results to impaired motor coordination, reasoning and decision-making. The diver may also exhibit symptoms of elation, and in some cases, anxiety and depression. These can altogether put the diver's life in serious danger. The best way to avoid this is not descend below 60 feet unless you are very well-trained, and to always have a trusted buddy to accompany you when diving.

When one ascends too quickly on the surface, bubbles may form in the artery (as a result of pressurized gas expanding at a lower pressure, or pulmonary barotrauma). Thus, arterial blood flow is blocked. This is known as arterial gas embolism, which can oftentimes lead to chest pains and stroke. An important reminder is to NEVER hold your breath when ascending. This causes the air to expand in the lungs, and when that happens, lung collapse or pneumothorax may occur. So, breathe normally and always ascend at a slow rate.

Traversing the deep, cool underwater causes the body to lose heat twenty times faster than it does in air. This leads to a condition called hypothermia, wherein the body temperature falls to an extremely low degree. This is why you always have to don a wetsuit, unless you're ice diving.

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